Oversight Republicans slam Biden for ‘political’ firings of Trump appointees from military panels

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FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are slamming President Biden over his recent "political" firings of Trump administration officials who were appointed to military academies’ advisory boards.

Fox News exclusively obtained a letter from House Oversight Committee ranking member James Comer, R-Ky., to Office of Presidential Personnel Director Catherine Russell regarding the president’s demand for 18 military panel appointees from his predecessor’s administration to resign in the middle of their terms.

Comer led a number of his Republican committee colleagues on the letter to Russell, who pointed out that the firings "came in the wake of President Biden’s bungled Afghanistan withdrawal" and therefore have been overlooked by the media.

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"Board members refusing to resign were considered fired at 6 p.m. that same day," the lawmakers wrote. "We are unaware of any such action taken by a prior president or administration."

"In light of these unprecedented and possibly unlawful political firings, we request information to understand the process and legal basis behind these decisions," they also wrote.

The Republican lawmakers pointed out that Biden is "undermining" the American military’s "foundational pillars" by "summarily firing the presidentially-appointed board members."

"With these firings, President Biden continues a pattern of political gamesmanship to purge Trump appointees from the government," the letter reads. "In this case, the firings are not only unprecedented but potentially a violation of law."

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According to the letter, the legality of the firings is "both uncertain and untested," as military panel appointees serve three-year terms that are extended until a successor is appointed, and blasted the firings as "yet another example of the Biden administration’s mismanagement of and disregard for our armed forces."

"The decision, combined with the other firings, shows disrespect to our service academy graduates," the lawmakers wrote. "This illustrates the nonsense of the stated rationale for the dismissals."

The lawmakers ended the letter by demanding the Biden administration turn over all "documents and communications" related to the firings.

Biden came under fire after it was revealed he had asked the panel appointees to resign during their three-year terms.

"I'm not resigning, but you should," Kellyanne Conway, a member of the Board of Visitors to the U.S. Air Force Academy and a former senior adviser to Trump, wrote in a response to Biden following the demand.

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White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended the president's move earlier this month, saying the decision was "to ensure [the president] has nominees and people serving on these boards who are qualified to serve on them and who are aligned with [his] values."

Psaki also denied that the moves were politically motivated, saying instead that "the president’s qualification requirements are not your party registration, they are whether you’re qualified to serve and whether you’re aligned with the values of this administration."

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

Fox News' Michael Lee contributed reporting.

Houston Keene is a reporter for Fox News Digital. You can find him on Twitter at @HoustonKeene.